P400-million more cocaine seized in Samar

TACLOBAN CITY , Philippines  – The joint operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Philippine National Police and military troops yesterday afternoon recovered anew some 80 bricks of suspected cocaine in the shorelines of Balangyan, San Policarpo, Llorente and Maydolong, all of Eastern Samar in an extensive follow-up operations by authorities.

Eastern Visayas PDEA regional director Julius Navales have once again presented the stuff before members of local media here at the PDEA regional office following the recovery of illegal drugs amounting to P400 million.

According to Navales, the joint operatives used at least two K-9 dogs and a helicopter to help more recovery of cocaine. As initial findings indicated, the shipment of cocaine came from a source in South America as the suspected cargo ship carrying the drug haul was en route to Hong Kong from the South American continent, and passing through the Pacific Ocean.

The other day the regional leadership of PDEA here and the PNP in Eastern Samar also presented to the media the 59 bricks of cocaine valued at P354 million that were earlier recovered by fishermen.

The dangerous drugs were discovered by fishermen from the island barangay of Mina-anod, Llorente, Eastern Samar. Members of said composite team informed media that initially, Tuesday, two bricks of white powder substances believed to be cocaine weighing one kilo each, were initially turned over to the Llorente municipal police station by fishermen Jonel Cagayan, Christopher Alido and Niño Busa.

Police Chief Superintendent Mario Sandiego, PNP-8 regional director said upon receiving reports of the find, police responded at once and went to the site where said cocaine were found and discovered. More brick packages containing the illegal substance were in the possession of fishermen. In all, 26 brick packages were found.

Navales said that the composite team of PDEA and the local police in Eastern Samar and Bantay Dagat as well as barangay officials are working hand-in-hand in support of the continued follow up operations for the possible recovery of the cocaine.

According to Dangerous Drug Board Undersecretary Clarence Paul Oaminal, the composite team is still conducting the search for more cocaine bricks in the coastal towns of Eastern Samar and that, indeed, the team is not discounting the possibility that more cocaine bricks might have been washed ashore or still drifting in the sea along the coastal municipalities of Eastern Samar.

Oaminal said the authorities are conducting further investigations as to why this volume of drugs has been dumped in the area. The DDB Undersecretary also disclosed that the suspected ship carrying the cocaine had already been apprehended in Hong Kong by Hong Kong police.  However, upon inspection, the ship was no longer found to be with the prohibited drug.

Tipped off

Oaminal theorized that when the crew of the cocaine-bearing vessel was tipped off by its intelligence network, and sensed that they were already under surveillance by international drug enforcement agencies, they dumped the drugs off Samar Sea to avoid arrest.

He said he will call for a review of the country’s baseline security and ask that stricter inspection be made of international container vans entering the country. Oaminal also said he will request the Department of National Defense (DND), of which the DDB is a member of, to report to the Board in its Jan, 21, meeting on the baseline security protocol of the country and to suggest measures on how to prevent similar incidents from happening.

According to Oaminal, the next national security council meeting issues on illegal drug operations in the country would be one of the main agenda. – With Michael Punongbayan